Does anyone know why channel 4 stopped showing the overound when they put up the betting on screen?

mmmm, not as many sharp minds as I expected...

Sharp enough not to watch Channel 4.

Their job is to encourage the muppets to bet, not scare them away.

The odious creep that they employ as a presenter has frightened me away.

Not enough space for the four digits and percentage sign on screen.

I'd assume that the reason is specifically due to the fact that bookmakers can now advertise on TV and so the station doesn't want to put off any potential clients by demonstrating the margin by which the punters are being had over.

I think you may have hit the nail on the head Dave. Having said that, if it's a ten runner race I can work it out for myself, however, in a 22 runner handicap, it becomes a bit more of a conundrum when you see after the first twelve in the betting..... 20/1 bar.

Hard to see why they don't just call their bluff. Can't see any bookies wanting to remove TV Ads.

Anyway most shop punters would have no clue what an overound is . They bet on BAGS Racing ffs . 9/4 9/4 5/2 11/4 7/2 9/2

Because they're in the pockets of their advertisers.
Government regulation should require it on all displayed books imo, in the name of consumer protection.

...............Anyway most shop punters would have no clue what an overound is ...............

Some would think that a 125% book was better than 110%.

The more mug punters the better, imo.

You wouldn't expect a shop to display their buy-in cost alongside the retail price.

FOBT's, Fruit Machines, etc all have their (sub 100%) payout % displayed (I believe it is a legal requirement) and there are still people queueing up to play on them! People still bet on the tote despite the (massive) take out percentage for each respective bet type being known in advance. God bless the ignorant!

I can remember when (on the horses) you could roughly rely on a percentage over round per runner (so big fields had a larger over round than small fields) - alas the industry SP these days seems to generate a bigger over round regardless of field size. The English % over round at the BH meetings yesterday is almost as shameful as the Irish ones - which have always been horrific.

No wonder football with its (relatively speaking) tiny over rounds is gaining in popularity as racing continues to die (the coroner will deliver a verdict of suicide imo!).

why has big mac notdone someit

Tober, nothing wrong with bags racing as long as the on course bookies play fair.

As close to the perfect betting medium as it is possible to get imho. Just a shame that the game is on it's knees.